Saturday, July 24, 2010

The last couple of days have included "so called" bad news, an embarrassing situation that, thank God, wasn't exposed, and a minor body ailment. BUT today is a new day. One that I have never lived before. I'm gonna do my best to enjoy each and every moment. Hope you will too :)(Live Well -Yesterday is gone)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Today I am thankful for my family. Somewhere in the past 39 years, I've learned that there's no such thing as "the perfect family". Its usually in the "family" that we're faced with our greatest challenges. And just as our family can be the source of love and support, it can also be the source of hurts and disappointments.But you know what? As my sister constantly reminds me, "at the end of the day, we're still family".

Monday, July 19, 2010

I am so thankful for "Hot Showers"! Can you say therapeutic?? It may sound simple, but there is something "heavenly" about the hot water/body connection . I believe showers should be purposeful and not something we do because we have to. For some, its just to get clean; but what about to think,experience "me time",to refresh/re-group or to wash away the cares of the day? I showered "on purpose" this evening. I allowed the water to heal and relax me. As I was totally focused, I did not allow my mind to go anywhere else. I stayed in present, and thanked God for the wonderful gift of hot water and massage shower heads :) The end result? A relaxed body and a clear mind. I don't take this simple pleasure for granted anymore. Its worked miracles for me. Its just ONE of the gifts of relaxation that works for me.So what works for you? I may just try that too :)(Live Well -Relax, Relate, Release)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

As I sat in Church today,I looked at my parents, and was grateful that I still have them both in my life. As they're getting older (in number), I'm appreciating them more. Parenting isn't easy and its not something you stop doing once your children are a certain age. As hard as you try to steer and guide, sometimes you're "on it", other times, you "miss it", but when its all said and done, all you know is that you love your children. Our parents are people who did the best they could with what they knew. I sometimes "wish" that I could build them their dream home, and maybe put nice "nest" in their bank account, take away their worries and cares, protect them...you know....all the things they desire for me as their child :)(Live Well -Thank God for Parents!)

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Of course, as soon as you make up your mind to do something, every opportunity comes your way to "give you practice". So has the day given me many opportunities give thanks "in spite of". My daughter had a taste for some potatoes for dinner (special recipe of course), so the plan was to enjoy a steak and potatoes dinner. I hadn't used the grill all summer, so I thought this would be the perfect time. Well, opportunity #1 came when I got to the check out at the grocery store and realized I had forgotten several coupons for a couple of items I bought. I went into a "I can't believe I did this" mode. But changed my mind and decided that I would be thankful that at least I would get another opportunity to use the coupons before the expiration date.Opportunity #2- My great nephew "wet" himself and my sofa as he was taking nap today. Now I was a little disappointed with this one, but did not get too emotional. "What can I be thankful for in this?", I thought. Well, first I was thankful that it didn't go beyond the outside layer, and I was thankful that my washer and dryer was working properly so I was able to wash it immediately.Opportunity #3 - I asked my daughter to keep an eye on the potatoes while I made a quick run. I called her while I was out to tell her to turn them off. She beat me to it, but I failed to tell her to remove it from the burner. So when I could smell them outside the door before I walked in the house, I knew they had burned. I did not want to make another trip to the grocery store and didn't know was would be the replacement, but thankfully I was able to recover some and have enough for the meal (even though they didn't eat any...more for me :).Opportunity #4 -As soon as I lit the grill to cook the steaks, it started to rain. I was determined to have grilled steaks, so I had to cook steaks while it was raining. I was thankful that it was only sprinkling and wasn't a downpour. Now as anxious and bothered as I could have gotten over everything that occurred today, as my daughter's began to eat, I thought about the homeless women Kyra had pointed out earlier in the day and a comment she had made (it was definitely a teachable moment about being thankful). They both said "Mommy this is good". I smiled and was grateful. 39 more days to go. Practice makes perfect, right?

Today begins the countdown to a milestone in my life. I'm turning 40! Turning 40 for a lot of people is not big deal. To others, its a big deal. To me? I'm still figuring it out, but regardless, in 40 days, its going to happen. I think I started reflecting about a year ago and one word just kept popping up..."wow". As if I got here so fast. Its definitely a season of reflection. I'm starting to relive and experience things in my past that I never stopped to experience because I was constantly in the"future". There was a need to constantly stay on top of things and be ready for tomorrow, tonight, later on and what was taking place next. There were very few "present moments". A message my father ministered once came back to my memory that reflected on a fact that a person's stress was mainly the result of either dwelling in the past or the future. And there's the scripture in Matthew about "...not giving thought for tomorrow.."

So, I've made the decision to embrace it, acknowledge it, celebrate it and be "thankful". For the next 40 days, I intend to find things in my life that I'm thankful for . This, of course includes people and experiences that have contributed to this milestone and who I have become. I'll be writing "thank you letters" to people, and blogging about specific things that have occurred during the day that cause me to be thankful. I'm slowing down people.I'm learning to appreciate the "simplicity" of life and the blessings therein. I have plenty of things I could complain about (and often do), yet I have even more that I can be grateful for. So, when making a choice of where to exert my energy, especially the next 40 days, I believe it will be more to my benefit to be grateful. To quote a line from one of my favorite movies (The Five Heartbeats)...."We shall see! " :)

Its definitely a "Soul Thing". I'm embracing 40 with no regrets with the 30's. Love learning and my biggest teachers are my daughters (Kyra and Keturah). I dislike "the norm" and always strive for authenticity."To Myself I Will Always Be True"